Nagpur: The penultimate match of Super 12 of T20 World Cup in Australia witnessed one of the biggest upsets in the World Cup history when Netherlands defeated South Africa by 13 runs and cleared the way for India and Pakistan for semis. The Proteas were clear favourites to reach the semi-final and bookies in Nagpur were no exceptions!
Defending the total of 158, the Dutch seemed bijou, against the mighty line-up of South Africa’s. Bookies were relying on South Africa’s batting form (especially Rossouw and Miller) and were accepting bets on Netherland’s win wholeheartedly. Even the fall of wickets after significant partnerships didn’t shake their faith in Proteas’ win until Van der Marwe, an ex-South Africa star himself, turned the tide with David Miller’s stunning catch.
Gold Rate
Friday 17 Jan. 2025
In the end, the Dutch pulled off a heist and sent Proteas, one of the favourites of bookies, packing, making one of the biggest upsets in the World Cup. The upset left the bookies from Khamla, Itwari, Jaripatka, Mahal with a mammoth loss of Rs 67 crore in Nagpur.
There was also evident cheer among the winners. Many punters from Itwari, Jaripatka, Mahal, Sakkardara, Central Avenue had placed bets through various means. Meanwhile, bookies across the city and district seemed to have no fear of police. Bookies were active through various apps, including Telegram, but no one came on the police radar.
At the dawn of the T20 World Cup in Australia, the host was the favourite of bookies given the undue advantage of home pitches. The Aussies were followed by their all time rival England and world number T20 team India. South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka followed the suit. West Indies was also in fray for bookies before it was sent home packing by Ireland. However, with a series of upsets and several games washed out by rains, the combinations have changed drastically for the road to the semi-final.
Now, India is emerging as a hot favourite to lift the coveted title for the second time in the T20 World Cup. The luck is also in favour of Pakistan as it marched towards the semi-final spot after the Netherlands defeated South Africa. It may be possible that the arch rivals India and Pakistan clash in the final on November 13.
Notably, the Nagpur Police Department is already facing a shortage of IPS officials. In the hometown of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nagpur Guardian Minister, nearly half of the posts of top brass of city police are vacant. This has been attributed to the audacity of bookies, who are operating through various resorts and farmhouses in the district.
